Copa America 2024: Lionel Messi faced a rare off-night in front of goal as Argentina made a victorious start to their Copa America campaign on Thursday night.
Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez’s second-half goals sealed an early 2-0 victory for the holders in Atlanta, where they beat a feisty Canadian team and kept their title defense up and running.
However, the night in the office could have been even more enjoyable if Messi had not failed unusually and flagrantly on two occasions.
Copa America 2024: Lionel Messi Misses Two Key Chances
First, he missed a golden opportunity to double Argentina’s lead by passing the ball around Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau in the 64th minute, but defender Derek Cornelius stuck his head out and blocked him with the goal gaping.
14 minutes later, the 36-year-old was embarrassed again when he headed freely towards goal and a chipped effort trickled past the post.
Fans are not used to Messi failing in such situations and some were quick to express fears that “father time” could be catching up with him before his 37th birthday in four days.
One user wrote: “Father Time catching up with Messi. That’s the take.”
Another said: “Messi is cooked as a finisher unfortunately. Injuries and age have caught up with him. But his playmaking is still best itw.”
A third posted: “Our Messi is running out of gas. He’s getting old.”
“For the first time in my life time I have seen Messi miss two one on one chances,” another pointed out.
While one went as far to say: “MLS has ruined Messi”.
Despite failing to put the ball in the net, Messi had a satisfying night’s work after allowing Martinez to kill the match late on.
The Argentine captain played an excellent pass into the path of his team-mate, who calmly converted from close range to secure the champions’ first victory.
He also scored the first goal after directing a pass to Alexis MacAllister, who played side-foot pass to Alvarez as he collided with a rushing Crepeau, leaving the Manchester City forward with an empty net to tap into.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, very physical,’ Messi said afterwards.
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“In the first half there was little space. Luckily we found the goal quickly in the second half. We could have played better but even so, it was complicated. Most of our rivals play differently against us, you have to be patient and have control when opportunities arrive.”
With Thursday’s match, Messi also broke the historical record for participation in the Copa America. With his 35th match, he surpassed the previous record set by the legendary Chilean goalkeeper Sergio Livingstone.
Messi also became the first Argentinian in history to represent his country in seven Copa America tournaments.
Argentina’s next game is a face-off with Chile in the second group match at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Tuesday.
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